Russia lose 2021 World Champs & GBR Season Round-Up

The 2016 – 17 season is behind us, but for many the ramifications of the McLaren report will continue for some time. An Extraordinary Congress of the IBU was held at Fieberbrunn AUT on 08 Feb 17.

The IBU World Championships Biathlon 2021 were awarded to Tyumen RUS at the 2016 Regular Congress in Sep 16. Although there was wide-spread condemnation of alleged and proven Russian State sponsored doping, the Extraordinary Congress failed to achieve a 2/3rds majority to add to add to the agenda a vote on the withdrawal of the event from Tyumen. Therefore, the Executive Board took the responsibility to invite the Russian Biathlon Union to return the IBU WCH 2021 by 24th February 2017. Otherwise, the EB has decided to annul the award of the IBU WCH 2021 to Tyumen.

The host for the IBU WCH 2021 will be selected at the 2018 IBU Congress.

For GBR the 2016 – 17 season was one of mixed success for GBR.

The highlight was the 32nd place (0-1-0-0) in the 15 km Individual at the World Championships in Hochfilzen for Cpl Amanda LIGHTFOOT AGC.This was the best ever GBR female result and amongst the top 5 of all GBR athletes of all time. Alas, such was the dominance in this (and most other!) races of Laura Dahlmeier and Gabriela Koukalova, that Amanda still only scored 82.53 IBU QPs, just better than her end of Trimester 3 average of 85.42. This placed her 112 out of 114 in the PyeongChang OWG qualifying quota. Scott DIXON CBNSC finished the season with a World Cup PB in Oslo when he was 65th (1-0) in the Sprint with 81.38 QPs. He is currently 5th reserve in the overall OWG quota with an end of Trimester average of 99.67, but needs approx. 72 to be in the top 114; so a hard summer of training beckons!

Although Cpl Alex GLEAVE 1 CS Bn REME & LBdr Vinny FOUNTAIN 16 Regt RA joined LCpl Marcel LAPONDER 39 Engr Regt – who came out of retirement for a final fling – in the World Champs Relay, none of them are World Cup qualified for next season. Neither are any of the females who competed in the IBU Cup, although Holly REES-LAY TVNSC / CBNSC showed promise in the IBU Junior Cup.

In the Nations Cup (WC) GBR Men finished 27th (26th in 2016) and the Women 27th (27th). In Nations Cup (IBU Cup) the Men were 27th (32nd) and Women 30th (33rd). All results from all competitions can be found on the IBU Data Centre. Notwithstanding future BBU funding and structure, we are planning on next competing at WC 1 in Ostersund SWE on 27 Nov 17 & IBU Cup 1 in Beitostolen NOR on 24 Nov 17.

Without our Support Staff we would get nowhere! So a big thanks to World Cup Wax Technician Ilario MADDALIN, Team Manager Daniel GRAF and Advisory Coach Wolfgang PICHLER. On the IBU Cup Bdr Lee-Steve JACKSON 16 Regt RA was the Coach / Manager / Bus Driver although fortunately had some help in Trimester 1 from Sgt Ben WOOLLEY 17 P&M Regt. Jacko will be coaching the IBU Cup hopefuls in the Army Advanced Biathlon Development Squad during the summer in Ruhpolding, whilst Amanda & Scott will be based in Lillehammer and Ruhpolding.